Numeral Pursuit
by Flaming Platinum
Summary: [AT] They were rare XYZ cards, never heard of until one boy opened the lock. Despite this, 'Number Hunters' now seek out to collect these rare cards for their own intentions. Whether its good or bad depends on the person, and whether they'll be stopped depends on Yuma's abilities.
1. Chapter 1

**Give credit where credit is due. Thanks to Darkin520 for the cover image and Faulty L0gic for being my cheerleader. Anyways, this is the start of this AU that I'm really curious to see how it'll turn out. And I hope you guys like it.**

* * *

Yuma does a lot of dumb things without thinking, but this was, by far, the stupidest thing he had ever done.

It was one thing for him to avenge Tetsuo's lost, want to get his deck back and to get revenge for what was broken, but it was another thing to challenge Shark head on, uttering the words "I _will _defeat you," while doing so.

He wasn't ready at all – that'd take a lot of dueling practice and something at stake – and a day was barely enough to prepare.

Yuma sighed into his cards, a little less concerned about their conditions and more about their effects. There were some good cards in there, like 'Half Unbreak' and 'Paying for One's Mistakes', but they were just lucky breaks; there only to prolong his defeat.

Besides, those two were trap cards, not monster cards. They probably won't end up in his hand during the early part of the duel, and end up in his hand when he needs them, which would make them useless. You can't use traps straight from your hand or play them the turn they were set.

And he can't rely on traps for the entirety of the duel. 'Half Unbreak' only works when a monster is going to get destroyed by an attack, and the damage one would get is halved. And 'Paying for One's Mistakes' works when the opponent has a lot of monsters on the field, dealing five hundred points of damage for each monster. While they both have positive effects, there's always a way around them, and Shark probably knows those tricks.

Once again, Yuma sighed, throwing his current hand on the floor in the process. Luck alone won't win this duel, and his level of skill would just make him lose even more.

_Honestly, why did I even agree to this duel?_

The reasons where there – his classmate was beaten and got his deck stolen, and Shark was a bully who destroyed his key – but the logic wasn't. Yuma could barely hold up in a duel against his _grandma_, let alone Tetsuo. So what made him think that he could beat the person who beat Tetsuo?

_My loud mouth, that's who._

He shuffled his cards and put them in a neat pile on his little ledge. Going over his cards and trying to figure out if Shark could counter them would only lower his minuscule confidence even more.

_I think I'll just see what Grandma's cooking and then…_

-0-0-0-

It was that dream again, and that means yet another crash into oblivion, or, well, his bedroom floor.

But still, Yuma couldn't help but want to try something different this time, like actually open the door. Yet, he wasn't sure if he even had the key…

Nether the less, he slowly walked the narrow, gravel pathway to that big, chained door.

"Thou who opens the door shall obtain great power, but also lose what is most important to them," the door said as Yuma was one step away from its lock.

It was usually now when Yuma stepped back, fell into the caving ground, and woke up on the floor, but this time, this time was different. He wanted to open the door, and he wouldn't chicken out.

The only key Yuma had on him was the one his father gave him on his adventure, and that was what he was going use to open the door. Even though it was broken.

But as he readied the key in his hand, he realized it wasn't broken, or at least it wasn't for the purpose of the dream. With a leap, he jammed the key into the hole.

"Kattobingu da, ore!" he yelled as he twisted the key in the hole.

Light shone through from all directions, until the door completely opened, allowing golden cards to escape through the door. There was also a flash of a spirit of some sort, before the ground once again caved in, a screaming Yuma following it.

_Ouch… that hurt, _Yuma thought as he rubbed his head, realizing that the same thing happened once again. He fell out of his hammock to the floor, despite deciding to open the door this time.

For once in his life, he wasn't late, as the clock on the wall noted, and took the time to get dress, unlike he's able to when he has to go to school.

While he was doing so, he noticed that the key was still broken, despite it being fixed in the dream.

_I guess nothing happened in that dream…_

And once again, he was late, despite being on time for the first time.

-0-0-0-

Shark did congratulate Yuma for not running away, but there was still mockery in his speech, making Yuma add another reason for needing to beat Shark to that mental list of his.

But at the moment, it was time to duel, and he had to push that mockery he was handed away. It was never good to duel with an occupied mind.

He and Shark both threw on their D-Gazers and Duel Disks, and yelled the words marking the start of this match.

"Duel!"

Yuma took first turn, despite knowing he won't be able to attack. He looked at his hand and picked the strongest monster there.

"I summon Zubaba Knight in attack mode," he said, placing the card on his Duel Disk. With an attack power of sixteen hundred, Yuma was confident it would be able withstand whatever Shark threw his way. "I can't attack this turn, so I end my turn with this." That left his knight forced to aim its sword at Shark's empty field.

It didn't take long for Shark to send out a card, and Yuma had to stand in shock as it came out. It was Big Jaws, who had an advantage without any type of cards boosting it. Big Jaws had an attack of eighteen hundred, two hundred more than Yuma's Zubaba Knight.

"That's your strongest monster?" Shark asked, obviously mocking Yuma. It didn't take long for him to become infuriated.

"So?" he fired back, clenching his fists. It was wrong for Shark to mock his monsters, especially since they were his dad's monsters, and his dad was a great duelist.

"In duel monsters, when two monsters are engaged in battle, the one with the higher attack power wins. And it doesn't take much to defeat one with sixteen hundred attack points. But…"

Yuma watched as Shark pulled another card from his hand, confused as to what he was going to do. He had already said it doesn't take much to defeat a monster with sixteen hundred attack points, and he already had a monster who could do that just fine.

"I activate the magic card, Aqua Jet!" Shark yelled while the card in his left hand glowed. "This card raises an aqua type monster's attack by one thousand points for one turn, and I choose Big Jaws." The card that Shark said made itself known on the field, then attached itself to Big Jaws, giving him both twin jets and an attack power of twenty-eight hundred. "Big Jaws, Big Mess!"

Big Jaws burrowed itself underground, leaving only its fin visible. There wasn't any way for Yuma to defend for this attack, for there was nothing in his hand that could help him. He could only watch as Big Jaws jumped from underneath Zubaba Knight, biting the knight until it turned into yellow spots.

Yuma had to shield himself with his arms as he took the damage from the attack. His Life Points were now the same as Big Jaws boosted attack. While he lost a little less than half, it was still enough to give Shark a big lead in the duel.

"I set one card face down and end my turn."

It was once again Yuma's turn, which meant that he had another chance to build up his defenses. And it also meant that Big Jaws' attack power returned back to its normal eighteen hundred.

He drew a card, and then summoned his Gagaga Magician to the field.

"That thing's even weaker than Zubaba Knight. How is it going to take out my Big Jaws?" Shark mocked from his side of the field.

"When my monsters are lacking in strength, I use magic cards to boost them up." He took Wonder Wand from his hand and placed it on his Duel Disk. "I activate the magic card Wonder Wand, which raises Gagaga Magician's attack by five hundred!"

The card did what it was supposed to do. While giving the magician a wand to attack with, it also raised its attack from fifteen hundred to two thousand, which was just enough to beat Shark's Big Jaws. While the damage wasn't enough to put him at the same spot as Yuma, at least his Life Points would be harmed.

"I attack Big Jaws with Gagaga Magician!"

Just as Gagaga Magician pointed its wand at Big Jaws, Shark mumbled something, and the card that was faced down turned face up.

"I activate the trap card, Zeus Breath! With this, I can negate your Gagaga Magician's attack. And since I control a water monster, you take eight hundred points of damage."

A torment of water came from the magic/trap card zone of Shark's field, causing Gagaga Magician to give up its attack and focus on not being swept away. The current also reached Yuma, knocking him on the floor in the process, and like Shark said, his Life Points went down from twenty-eight hundred to an even two thousand.

Yuma hastily got up from his position on the floor, and took hold of a trap card in his hand. _I completely forgot I could use these!_

"I place one trap card face down and end my turn!" All he got were mummers of how much of an idiot he was.

"Really, you shouldn't tell me what kind of card you're placing. Don't you know anything about duel monsters?" All Shark got was angry silence from Yuma. "Anyways, I summon Skull Kraken!"

At first, Yuma felt scared at the fact that Shark was releasing yet another monster, while he only had one, but as the screen displayed its attack points, he was relieved. The giant grey skull tentacle thing only had six hundred attack points, which meant that it was an easy target for Gagaga Magician.

"Don't think you can win just yet. I activate Skull Kraken's effect! I can destroy one face up trap or magic card." Shark pointed to Wonder Wand's card. "I use Skull Kraken's effect to destroy that card."

The card turned to yellow specks once Skull Kraken's effect came to play, lowering Gagaga Magician's attack to its original fifteen hundred.

"My Gagaga Magician!" Yuma yelled, his mouth opened wide. While it was still on the field, its attack was low enough for Big Jaws to destroy it.

"But I'm not done with my turn yet. Yuma, when two monsters on the field have the same level, I can combine them in XYZ summoning to create an all new, powerful monster. And I have two level three monsters. And so I use my level three Skull Kraken and Big Jaws –" a cosmic hole opened up in the field, swirling infinitely as the two monsters entered it "- to rebuild the Overlay network. Come out, Number Seventeen: Levice Dragon!"

Emerging from the spiral cosmic hole was a blue dragon with six wings, three on each side, and a terrifying roar.

Out of all the monsters he watched, lost against, or used, this card was not one of them. Never had Yuma seen a card like this, or thought it was even in Shark's deck.

_Maybe… _Yuma quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. While there were golden, blank cards in that dream, nothing was real in it. His key was fixed in that dream, but was still broken in real life.

"I activate Levice Dragon's effect! By detaching one Overlay Unit, I can raise its attack by five hundred points," Shark said as a purple aura engulfed him.

One of the two glowing balls of light circling the dragon went off its path and was devoured by the dragon. The screen displaying its attack points showed its attack going up from two thousand to twenty-five hundred. "Now, Levice Dragon, attack Gagaga Magician. Shark Stream Blast!"

The stream hit Gagaga Magician, turning Yuma's only monster into yellow bits of data.

Yuma was blown back by the attack, causing him to tumble backwards and to land on his backside. As he did so, his Life Points depleted to a measly one thousand.

"Just one more turn until you're defeated, Yuma. Turn end."

_Damnit… _Yuma drew one card and summoned Gogogo Golem in attack mode.

"That's not it. I activate the magic card, Unprecedented Wind! This card raises Gogogo Golem's attack by one thousand until the next turn. Now, Gogogo Golem, attack Levice Dragon!"

The bulky blue and green golem charged clumsily towards the dragon, striking the dragon perfectly, leaving only a cloud of dust.

Yuma noticed that Shark took some damage from the attack, and automatically assumed that Levice Dragon was destroyed. He started to cheer for joy. Not only was Shark's best monster destroyed, but his field was completely empty, leaving nothing to defend his Life Points. If he's unable to summon a monster for his next two turns, then Yuma would win this in his next two turns. And he'll finally have a win to add to all those losses.

Expect Shark's field wasn't empty. The dragon was still there, despite Gogogo Golem's attack being strong enough to destroy it. And there wasn't even an explanation or 'stupid Yuma' coming from Shark's side of the field.

"I, uh, end my turn." Gogogo Golem's attack power returned to normal.

"I detach another Overlay Unit to raise Levice Dragon's attack points by another five hundred," Shark said after drawing one card. The final Overlay Unit of Levice Dragon was used, upping its attack to three thousand. "Now, attack Gogogo Golem! Shark Stream Blast!"

The blast hit Gogogo Golem, digitizing it in the process. Yuma was sent flying from the blast, tumbling until he landed on his back, defeated.

The AR Link disappeared once it announced Shark the winner, leaving Yuma as broken as his key.

"I would take your deck, but that'll only do you a favor." Shark then left with his posse, but not before he kicked Yuma in the face.

Yuma barely even noticed that the purple aura surrounding him during the duel was still there, more focused on how he lost than on Shark.

"I think I need to go for a walk," Yuma stated to Tetsuo and Kotori as they made their way to him.

-0-0-0-

Astral looked at the only Number Card he had in his possession. He probably should've given it to that boy while he was dueling, but a kid like him would over use it.

But, it was the only way for him to survive all those duels, and those greedy Number hunters as well.

He would have to give him that card in secret, so that he'd be ready, but won't depend too much on it.

_You're an interesting child, Yuma, but you're not quite ready for me._


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry this isn't my normal 2k chapter, but nothing like the last chapter happened. But it does move plot forward, so it is useful.**

* * *

Yuma had no idea as to how a walk would help him – there was nothing to do but think – but he didn't want to come home. Akari could get lucky and guess that he was out dueling, and then punish him for doing so

But even Akari won't harm him as much as Shark had. Even if she was older, she was still his sister, and she had to protect him due to the disappearance of their dad.

And with Shark, there wasn't even a mutual bond of being classmates, like what Yuma had with Tetsuo. Therefore, nothing could stop him from doing anything to Yuma.

Well, when it came to physical violence, a teacher could step in when one was needed, but that's a rare case for they almost never step in when you need one. But for dueling, everything's fair there. Even playing for one's deck – you agreed to the terms, you carry them out.

_"I would take your deck, but that'll only be doing you a favor."_

It was obviously more mockery from Shark, but Yuma couldn't agree more. While his deck was his father's, it never won him a duel and it only allowed people the knowledge that he was a duelist. A duelist who couldn't duel his way out of a paper bag.

_No, don't think like that!_

It was like that time again. He had lost a duel and was upset that everyone made fun of him. But it only took one duel with his dad and a conversation about their dreams to get him smiling again.

Yet, his grandma or Akari couldn't do what his father had done, leaving Yuma lost when it came to what to do.

_But there has to be something in the house that can cheer me up._

-0-0-0-

The window in his room was open, and there was an envelope on the floor when Yuma arrived.

He quickly shut the window, just in case someone else decided to break in that way, and picked up the envelope on the floor.

There wasn't anything written on it – no receiver, sender, or even topic. Just an envelope that weighed as much as a feather.

_Maybe it's just an empty envelope I had lying around somewhere._

But Yuma still opened it, despite thinking it might not be anything. After all, it didn't hurt to try. And what if it did have something inside of it? The chance of him gaining whatever was in that envelope would've been gone.

He ripped open the envelope, revealing a card and a note.

Yuma went for the card first, since he realized that it was a duel monsters card. And while he had just lost a duel, he couldn't help but want to get back into the game right this second. Besides, how could improving his deck a little hurt?

It only took one tiny turn of the card to realize what it was – an XYZ monster.

Yuma never owned on XYZ monster, but he was still aware of their power. They were the best type of monsters, using a certain amount of monsters to tribute in order to summon them, and then using the souls of those monsters as overlay units, causing a special effect to take place. The cards resided in your extra deck and therefore they didn't count towards the amount of cards one could hold.

"Number Thirty-Nine: Aspiring Emperor, Hope…huh?"

While he did know everything about XYZ cards, this one was new. Of course, he didn't know about every XYZ card, but this one didn't ring a bell.

Though, he did hear 'Number' being used before…

_Wait, wasn't a card like this used by Shark?_

He had to think back a bit, but he did remember Shark calling out a number and Levice Dragon. Maybe that card was like this one?

Still, it was a card and therefore it was useful to Yuma. Besides, one XYZ card couldn't hurt, right?

_Well, I better figure out what its summoning conditions and effects are._

It only required two level four monsters to summon it – something that was rather easy for Yuma to do. Gogogo Golem and Ganbara Knight were already level four, and he could change the level of Gagaga Magician to level four as well. That already took care of summoning the card.

_Now for its monster effect…_

It was the perfect card to pair with 'Double-Up Chance'.

Hope was able to negate any attack, even if it was its own. And pair that with 'Double-Up Chance', it'll be dealing five thousand points of damage, enough to beat almost any monster.

_But I'll only have one chance with that combo._

Still, it was one of those combos. One where it'll take a well-placed trap to counter it.

Yuma took out the note that came with the card.

_'Numbers can only be beaten by other Numbers' _Was what was written on the card.

_Numbers? _It took him a couple of seconds to realize that the XYZ card he had in his hand was a 'Number'.

_So is this a new card type? I've never seen anyone with a 'Number' before yesterday… Maybe they're prototypes?_

Even though he was confused, Yuma still put Number Thirty-Nine in his deck, reasoning with himself that a little deck improvement couldn't hurt, even if the card type wasn't anything he heard of 'till yesterday.

-0-0-0-

_So I had to give a piece of my memory to ensure the safety of the rest… _Astral thought as he looked at Yuma, who was too absorbed in toying with his deck to notice anything.

Astral chuckled to himself. From his position in the tree, he could still hear Yuma's musings about the card he was gifted. He was definitely an interesting child.

Most children his age might just take the card and brag about its power. Yuma, on the other hand, was happy about the card…but was intrigued and confused by it as well.

Yuma would make a fine Number Hunter. He was not like the others.

_Observation number one: Human beings are interesting and weird individuals._

He just then noticed the key that opened the lock was broken, and the child wasn't aware of his presence.

_It seems like Number Hunter Yuma hasn't fully awakened yet._


End file.
